§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken to prevent the illegal trapping of migrant birds in the sovereign base areas within Cyprus; if he will make more resources available to control this activity; and if he will make a statement. [15731]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) Administration and Police already devote significant resources to the control of illegal trapping of migrant birds. In this autumn's migration season wardens from the Republic of Cyprus's Game Service have joined the SBA Police in a number of large scale patrols, involving up to forty officers, while the SBA Police have carried out smaller anti-poaching patrols on an almost daily basis. Over 500 mist nets, nearly 300 limesticks and many other items of trapping equipment have been seized and will be destroyed. Nine people have been arrested and charged with trapping offences. They now face prosecution in the SBA Court, which can and does impose heavy fines for trapping offences. An extensive publicity campaign has been undertaken by the SBA Police in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area aimed at discouraging local people 173W from engaging in trapping and spelling out the consequences if they are caught. This autumn's anti-trapping campaign has had a significant impact on the level of trapping activity in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area and the SBA Administration will pursue similar campaigns in the future.